Urban population in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan lived on a monthly per capita expenditure lower than the national average during July 2011-June 2012 while rural consumers in these states spent more than the respective average, shows a NSSO survey.
"States with higher rural MPCE than the all-India average tended to have urban MPCE above the all-India average as well. Exceptions were Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, where MPCE was above the all-India average in the rural sector but below the all-India average in the urban sector," a recent survey by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) revealed.
As per the survey conducted by NSSO during July 2011-June 2012, the average monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE) was estimated at Rs 1,430 in rural India and Rs 2,630 (up about 84 per cent) in urban India.
Urban in Gujarat had MPCE of Rs 2,581, Rajasthan Rs 2,442 and Tamil Nadu Rs 2,662--less than the national average of Rs 2,630.
However, in the rural segment, these states had higher MPCE than the national average (Rs 1,430) at Rs 1,536 in Gujarat, Rs 1,598 in Rajasthan and Rs 1,693 in Tamil Nadu.
NSSO 68th round of the survey was the ninth quinquennial survey in the series covering household consumer expenditure and employment & unemployment.
The survey--'Level and Pattern of Consumer Expenditure 20ll-12'-- covered 7,469 villages and 5,268 urban blocks across the country.
It estimated that food accounted for about 53 per cent of the value of the average rural Indian's household consumption during 2011-12.
"The share of most of the food item groups in total consumption expenditure was higher in rural India than in urban India, fruits and processed food being exceptions.
"For the average urban Indian, 42.6 per cent of the value of household consumption was accounted for by food, including 6.7 per cent by cereals and 7 per cent by milk and its products," the survey said.
In its other findings, the survey estimated the poorest of 5 per cent of India's rural population lived on an average of Rs 17.36 daily or Rs 521 MPCE.
While for the urban population, the poorest 5 per cent survived on Rs 23.33 daily or average MPCE of Rs 700.
However, the top 5 per cent of the rural population had access to expenditure as high as 8.6 times that of the bottom 5 per cent at Rs 4,481 MPCE.
For the urban population, the top 5 per cent had an average MPCE of Rs 10,282--about 14.7 times that of the bottom 5 per cent.
State-wise, Kerala had the highest rural MPCE at Rs 2,669, followed by Punjab (Rs 2,345) and Haryana (Rs 2,176).
In all other major states, average rural MPCE was between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,760.
"Average rural MPCE was lowest in Odisha and Jharkhand (around Rs 1,000), and also very low in Chhattisgarh (around Rs 1,030). In the rural sector of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, average MPCE was between Rs 1,120 and Rs 1,160," outlined the study.
In urban sector, Haryana had the highest MPCE at Rs 3,817 followed by Kerala (Rs 3,408) and Maharashtra (Rs 3,189).
"Apart from Bihar (urban MPCE Rs 1,507), no other major state had urban MPCE below Rs 1,860.
